Car coupler



June 24 1924.

W. KELSO CAR COUPLER Filed Jan. '51. 1923 Patented June 24, W24.

@NETED gTATES iaeaosl I M ()FFICE.

WILLIAMI KELSO, 0F PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 TIE MGCONWAY &

TORLEY COMPANY, OF PZTTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PE1\TN' SYLVANIA.

GAR COUPLE-R.

Application filed January 31, 1923. Serial No. 616,123.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Knnso, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Car Couplers; and I do hereby declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to car couplers of the Master Car Builders type and particularly to the form known as the standard D-coupler, While the improvements hereinafter described and claimed are especially applicable to the D-coupler, it is to be understood that they are not limited in their application to that form of coupler alone.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a lock lifter for a coupler of the D- type which may be readily assembled with the other parts of the mechanism, which cannot accidentally drop or be forced to a position precluding it from performing its intended function of moving the lock to un locked position, which is efliciently strengtlr ened, and is provided with means for deflecting shearing blows such as the lifter may accidentally receive in service by reason of heavy objects falling upon its upper end.

The primary feature of the invention, generally stated, consists in combining with a coupler head and the knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, an upwardly movable and rearwardly swinging look for the knuckle adapted to be actuated by a lock lifter whose lower end is provided with trunnions extending into an upwardly and rearwardly opening slot with which the lock is provided, the upper wall of the coupler head being formed with an opening adapted to permit the pas sage of the said trunnions, and the upper end of the lifter being formed with a shoulder overlapping the top wall of the said head and adapted to engage the same to limit downward movement of the lifter.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing a lock lifter having trunnions at its lower end with laterally extending flanges projecting into and movable through an'opening in the top wall of-the coupler head through which the lower end of the lifter may pass, the said flanges providing means when the parts are in locked position for closing the portions of the opening in the coupler headcorresponding to the trunnions of the lifter.

Still another feature of the invention consists in providing the lock lifter at its upper end w th a lug overlapping the top wall of the coupler head, the upper surface of the said lug being inclined downwardly and preferably toward the forward end of the coupler.

Other features of the invention residingin special details of construction and in the re lations of parts will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating the invention as applied to a Master Oar Builders standard D-coupler,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of mechanism involving the invention, the look,

Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Fig.

5 but illustrating a further modification of the lock lifter embodying the invention.

In the. D-coupler the knuckle is normally retained in locked or coupled position by means of an upwardly movable and rearwardly swinging lock. Where these couplers are applied to freight cars this lock is customarily actuated by a lock lifter extending upwardly from the look through an opening in the top wall of the coupler head, the lower end of the lifter being provided with trunnions entering an upwardly and rearwardly opening slot in the lock and constituting means for slidably and detachably connecting the lock and lifter. At its upper end the lifter is operatively attached to, a suitable uncoupling rod. or

release mechanism for enabling the trainman from a position at the side of the car to operate the lifter so as to produce the movements of the lock required to release the knuckle and effect its outward rotation. In normal or locked relation the lower end of the lock lifter projects rearwardly beyond thedock so as to stand beneath a shoulder or anti-creep lug fashioned upon the inside of the coupler head. This relation of the lower end 'of'the lifter to the anti-creep lug is designed to prevent the coupler lock'from accidentally moving to an 'nnlocked position. As a result of servicejliowever; the partsof the coupler are reduced in size by wear and become capable of assuming positions detrimental to effective'operation of the device. As at present constructed the association in the D- coupler of a worn lock lifter with a coupler head in which the anti-creep lug is of re duced length permits the lock lifter to drop below its'nor'nial position; thereby allowing its trunnions to pass out of the lifter recei'ving slot of the lock. When the lifter hasassum'ed such a relation the uncoupling lever or release rigging mechanism is ineffective to, induce an unlocking movement of the look. If it becomes necessary under such'circumsta-nces to unlock the coupler the trainman is required to stand between the car swhere he can reach the litter and then to endeavor by careful manipulation to work the trunnion's'of the lifter back into their operative position in the slot of the lock. 'It' is in this manner at times possible to restore the lifter to a position enabling the lock to be operated by actuaa.

the mechanism before the coupler can be dismantled; Moreover. where a worn, lock litter is associated with a coupler head having a shortanti-creep lug the disconnection of 'the uncoupling rod or release rigging from the lifter may, unless care is taken. result in allowing the lifter to drop and pass wholly 'withinthe coupler head. In such a case also parts of the mechanism must be destroyed in order to separate parts ofthe couplerL I By my invention these undesirable effects are obviated and the lock litter is prevented under all circumstances from assuming an inoperative relation to the lock. This irrrproyen ent in the D-coupler is accomplished, as will hereinafter appear, in a manner permitting advantageous lateral strengthening of thelock lifter as well as the provision of simple means for deflecting such accidental shearing blows as the lock lifter is ordinarily liable to receive.

In the drawings 1 is the coupler head and 2 is the knuckle rotatably mounted thereon by means of the usual knuckle-pin 3. The knuckle is maintained in closed or coupled position by means of the well-known form of locking block 4i having a depending leg 5 which projects downwardly through an opening 6 in the lo wall of the coupler head. The lock i which is brought into assembled relation with the coupler head 1 by being introduced through the mouth 7 ol said head. is capable of sliding Yer tically and swinging rearwardly, the former movement efi'ecting the release of the knuckle and the latter enabling the depending leg 5 to press rearwardly against and rotate the standard form of knuckle opening lever 8 so as to cause an uncoupling rotation of the knuckle, .LLS shown in the drawings, the lock l is seated upon the pivoted knuckle opening lever 8 when the parts are in locked relation.

The coupler lock 4 is caused to perform its unlocking and knuckle throwing movements by means of a litter member 9 which instead of being brought to assembled position by introducing it through the mouth of the coupler, as is the case when the lifter is of the standard form. is brought into operative relation to the look by entering its lower end through an opening 10 in the upper wall of the coupler head.

The lower end of the lifter 9 ma and preferably does conform to the usual details of. construction or the top lift member of the D-coupler, being provided with oppositely disposed laterally projecting trunnions 11 extending into the upwardly and rearwardly opening slot 12 in the upper end ot the lock t and constituting means for niovably and detachably connectii'ig the lifter to the lock. hen the parts are in locked or normal position the face or shoulder 13 at the lower end of the lifter 9 stands beneath the anti-creep lug 14, thus preventing the look from performing an unlocking operation until, by an upward pull upon the litter, the shoulder 13 is withdrawn from beneath said lug 14.

The lifter receiving opening 10 in the top wall of the coupler head is preferably of T- form, its oppositely disposed branches or,

recesses 15 permitting the passage of the corresponding trunnions 11. At its rear intermediate of its ends the lock litter 9 may advantageously be provided with laterally extending flanges 16 whose upper ends project into the respective recesseslfi through whichthe trunnions are entered and thus provide means for closing said recesses when the parts are in locked position. The remainder of the aperture 10 is normally closed by the forward portion of the lifter 9, as will readily be understood upon ref erence to Fig. 2. The extended flanges 16 projecting into and movable through the recess 15 impart highly desirable lateral ptiffness to the rearward portion of the lock ifter.

To insure the maintenance of an operative relation of the lock 4 and lock lifter 9, and to prevent the lifter from dropping or being forced completely into the coupler head, the upper end of the lifter is provided with a lug or shoulder 17 which overlaps the upper l of the coupler head and by engageit therewith serves to limit downward movement of the lifter. The lug 17 is preferably located at the forward side of the lifter and its upper surface 18 is inclined, sloping downwardly away from the opening l0- toward the forward end of the coupler so as to deflect any shearing blow imparted to the lifter from the direction from which such blows are ordinarily received. An eye 19 in the upper end of the lifter afiords suitable means for operatively connecting it to an uncoupling rod or other release rigging mechanism. To permit the passage of the lower end of the lifter through an opening .10 of minimum size, the top wall of the coupler head is preferably undercut slightly on opposite sides of said opening, as indicated at 20.

fits shown in the modified form of-the in vention illustrated in Fig. 5, the means for limiting the downward movement of the le k lifter may take the form of a lug 21, corresponding to the lug 17 but extending rearwardly instead of forwardly; and, as shown in Fig. 6, both forwardly extending lug 1'7 and a rearwardly extending lug 21 may be employed jointly. As the constructions disclosed in Figs. 5 and 6 are in other respects identical with features heretofore described, corresponding parts have been indicated by the same reference numerals.

I claim 1. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, an upwardly movable and rearwardly swinging lock for said knuckle, and a lock lifter for actuating said/lock, said lock being formed with an upwardly and rearwardly opening slot adapted to receive lower end of said lifter, said lifter being i'acliably onnected to said lock by trunions formed on said lifter and extending into said slot, the upper wall of said coupler head being formed with an opening adapted to permit the passage of said trunnions and through which the upper end of said lifter projects, and the upper end of said lifter being provided with a shoulder adapted to k, the upper wall of said coupler head iit downward movement of said lifter. 2. In car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally,

mounted thereon, an upwardly movable and rearwardly swinging lock for said knuckle, and a lock lifter for actuating said lok, said lock being formed with an upwardly and rearwardly opening slot adapted to receive the lower end of said lifter, said lifter bebeing flanged at its rear to provide means for normally closing the portions or said opening adapted to permit the passage of said trunnions.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, an upwardly movable and rearwardly swinging lock for said knuckle, and a lock lifter for actuating said lock, said lock being formed with an upwardly and rearwardly opening slot adapted to re ceive the lower end of said lifter, said lifter being detachably connected to said lock by trunnions formed on said lifter and projecting into said slot, the upper wall of said head being provided with a T-shaped opening adapted to permit the passage of said trunnions, and said lifter being provided at its rear with laterally extending flanges which when said lifter is actuated project into and are movable through the portions of said opening corresponding to said trunmons.

4C. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, an upwardly movable and rearwardly swinging lock for said knuckle, and a lock lifter for actuating said lock, said lifter being detachably connected to said look by 'trunnions formed on said lifter, and the upper wall of said head being formed with a T-shaped opening adapted to permit the passage of said trunnions.

5. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, and a lock lifter detachably connected to said lock so as to be movable with respect thereto, the upper wall. of said head being formed with an opening adapted to permit the pas sage of the lower end of said lifter. and the upper end of said lifter having rigidly connected thereto a lug adapted to engage the upper wall of said head to limit the downward movement of said lifter, the upper surface of said lug being inclined.

6. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, and a lock lifter slidably connected to said lock, said lock being formed with a slot into which the lower end 0f said lifter extends, the upper Wall of said head beii'ig provided with an opening adapted to permit the passage of the lower end of said lifter, and the upper end of said lifter being formect with a lug adapted to engage the upper wall of said head to limit the downward movement of said lifter, said lug having an upper face which slopes downwardly toward the fun ward end of the coupler. W

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM KELSO. 

